After Chu Wanning dies, Taxian-Jun decides to bring him back, but the problem is, he needs another person to find his Wanning and convince him to return. There is not grabbing him in dragging him back like he's used to.
Taxian-Jun towers of Liu-gong demanding he find him. The old man is in no place to refuse. He has no right to refuse.
He is, after all, the only person Taxian-Jun would allow near Chu Wanning.
....and the only person left who might convince him to come back. He certainly wouldn't return for Mo Ran.

Taxian-jun moves through the kitchen humming to himself. He hasn't eaten wontons since Shi Mei died, but tonight he makes them.
Tonight is special.
Tonight he will share a dinner with his shizun.
And kill him.
He has no more need of such a man. He's taken all Chu Wanning had. Everything Chu Wanning could have offered Taxian-jun took. He took what Chu Wanning didn't even know he had until it was abused in Taxian-jun's hands.
Now Chu Wanning has nothing. He is nothing. He has no one and is no one.
So there is no more use for him.

"Poor Mo Ran" everyone mutters when they see him flirting with a woman pretending to ask for help in class as an excuse to call him over.
"Poor Mo Ran" they whisper when a boy shoots him soft eyes he must reject.
"Poor Mo Ran" they say when Professor Chu catches him flirting. Poor Mo Ran, who never gets a chance to make a move or accept a date from his many admirers because somehow Chu-laoshi is always nearby and sees.
Sometimes he hisses at Mo Ran for being shameless.
Sometimes he sends Mo Ran away to make copies.

Chu Wanning lays on the floor by the fire with his head resting on Taxian-Jun's lap. His eyes are closed and his guard is down.
The winter months are hard for him, the cold biting through his bones. But right now is nice. Taxian-Jun merely cards his fingers through his hair. He lets out a measured breath that's the closest thing to a contented noise he would allow himself. Taxian-Jun didn't sleep the last few nights and when he sleeps so little he can barely think he becomes mindless and docile.
He just sits petting Chu Wanning's hair.

When Mr 2.0 confessed while they were riding the sword. What if cwn rejected mr then and did not admit his feelin… — Mo Ran tries to smile it off. He doesn't want to make Chu Wanning more uncomfortable than he already has. respect… curiouscat.live/sentient_wren/… respect and cherish is what he was supposed to do and instead....
When they land Chu Wanning stumbles away and Mo Ran assumes it's from flying. He really did fuck up.
"Wanni-" Mo Ran cuts himself off and turns to walk away.

When Chu Wanning speaks his natural rhythm is half a beat slower than everyone else's. When he was young with Huaizui it didn't matter- Huaizui's pace matched his own. But as Chu Wanning grew up and started to speak to more, he learned how much being half a beat off hurts. It means he thinks too long before replying. Often, the consequence is interrupting or talking over others.
Everyone else sees this as rude and arrogant, like he thinks what he has to say is more important.
Sometimes he does, but often he doesn't.

Taxian-jun stands leaned against the door well for a long time watching Chu Wanning, who lays on the floor surrounded by piles of books. Some are open to pages flipped by the breeze from the window, others stacked, a few thrown against the far wall in frustration and anger. Chu Wanning's back rises and falls slowly in his sleep but his expression is as tight and pained. His breathing picks up and his hand tightens before it slows again.
A long time passes before Taxian-jun moves. He just stands watching Chu Wanning sleep.

After it's over Chu Wanning and Mo Ran return to Sisheng Peak to gather their things. Mo Ran kisses Chu Wanning on the cheek and runs off to his room while Chu Wanning goes to Red Lotus Pavilion to pack.
Much he can easily pack without thought, but one thing gives him pause. There, on a shelf tucked almost out of sight, are the four figurines Xue Meng sculpted and gave to Chu Wanning the day he woke up.
Rough, crude, rather ugly, Chu Wanning's three clay disciples surround a clay him.
Chu Wanning, Mo Ran, Xue Meng.
And Shi Mei.

Every so often, as a young child, Chu Wanning has a total breakdown. How could he not? He's only human after all.
Huaizui doesn't mind. He's calm & patient with the child as he lays in the dirt dramatically lolling around.
Today's upset is A-Ning found a frog he can't bring home. "I don't want to leave it!!!" The five year old whines from his place in the dirt, not noticing that the frog hopped away five minutes ago.
Huaizui stands over him with an umbrella held out to keep the rain off the child instead of himself.
"Some things leave, A-Ning."

Fuckbuddies Ranwan where Chu Wanning catches feelings and starts ignoring Mo Ran even when they're together leaving Mo Ran to think Chu Wanning actually hates him because he always turns his head away and won't look him in the eye. Mo Ran grows more possessive over Chu Wanning the more he thinks that what they have is ending but it only makes Chu Wanning feel more in love with Mo Ran and make him want to run away faster because he 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 he's not even equal to Mo Ran's wife in his heart.

Taxian-Jun loves Chu Wanning's hands.
His fingers are long and nimble, each joint is defined. They're almost always cold to the touch. They betray his fear by trembling against his will, tucked away to hide. He loves laying holding those hands.
Taxian-Jun knows he made a mistake. CW for thread: Taxian-Jun is going to be cutting off Chu Wanning's hand in this😊
Specific tweets containing violence will be headed with CW Gore

Siren Chu Wanning is who accidentally lures passerby in by and is so offended at how utterly *shameless* all these men coming to his island amongst the red lotuses are.
Of course...Mo Ran, the only man he sees and wants to lure to him, doesn't listen his song. Chu Wanning sits with his feet dipped in the water. He's usually in a human's form. It's easier. Sirens are meant to be beautiful but he is not. They're meant to sing but he cannot. They're meant to be soft and warm and sultry, and he is not.

Once, towards the end, Chu Fei drugs himself.
Not with alcohol or medicines to sooth his pain as he sometimes does when it becomes too much, but with aphrodisiac.
Taxian-Jun finds him and assumes it was a mistake. He takes care of his needy husband,but in truth it was on purpose. It was because all Chu Wanning wants after a cold day alone in his library quickly losing hope is to tell Mo Ran how he feels, but he can't.
He can't apologize.
He can't confess his heart.
He can't beg for Mo Ran to hold him.
Except he can, under a dose of a certain drug.

The message is entirely shameless.
Chu Wanning stares at it on his screen debating what to do with it. He could just close his phone or even delete the app entirely, carry on his life and pretend it never happened.
Or....
With one tap he could..... Big question I've been sitting on and can't decide: is it more fun if Chu Wanning is sending the message or receiving it?
Obviously ranwan here, not going to throw a shiwan twist at yall this time😂
(screencap courtesy of a message a friend received and we had a good laugh over)

Taxian-Jun spending hours brushing and braiding Chu Wanning's hair and every night ritually unbraiding his hair as he sleeps curled on the bed before kissing his cheek.
It's a small softness Taxian-Jun can offer only for the fact that he believes his precious Wanning hates it. Every morning Taxian-Jun wakes early and sits Chu Wanning between his thighs to first finger comb, then comb, then carefully braid his hair into complex patterns. He knows Chu Wanning hates this because he just sits there, back straight with his eyes closed, ignoring his husband.

Mo Ran watches every drama that airs no matter how over the top or cheesy it is. He doesn't cry at them but Mo Ran has a mushy heart and does tear up on occasion.
Chu Wanning 'doesn't' watch these shows (watches them over Mo Ran’s shoulder) and is absolutely not invested in them. Therefore when Mo Ran watches the series finally of one particularly heart wrenching drama he wipes his eyes and turns around to fine his boyfriend to snuggle up with an tell about how good the end was, only to turn around and find his boyfriend staning behind him.

A flower is planted in Chu Wanning's chest.
At first no one notices. Chu Wanning is always cold, always quick to anger, always punishing.
What's a little more bloodshed from a man who whipped his disciple incapacitated for merely picking a flower?
So at first no one notices. When Chu Wanning wakes from seclusion he immediately summons Mo Ran to speak with him about picking Madam Wang's flower. What he wants is to apologize, but when Mo Ran kneels in front of him he finds the words do not come.
He looks down on Mo Ran who is looking at the floor

The day after Taxian-Jun's coronation Chu Wanning wakes. He can barely lift his head.

Taxian-Jun is sitting on the bed too, cradling him. When he sees Chu Wanning wake he nips his ear and whispers, "The world now thinks you're dead, Shizun. You're just my spiteful ghost." He closes his eyes again in defeat. The world indeed thinks he's dead. They all saw him strung up and bleeding out to the brink of death. He's certain he did die and Mo Ran dragged him back.
Taxian-Jun strokes his pale cheek where a tear would fall were Chu Wanning to cry.

A Sir Gawain and the Green Knight AU in which Taxian-Jun creates a public summons for Chu Wanning, announcing him the only one worthy of facing him. Unable to refuse the declaration of battle, Chu Wanning begins a solo journey to find the demon.
What he finds is Tianyin Pavilion. The summons is a public display of disgust and hate, Taxian-Jun seeking a game of his own pleasure. The demon breaks into Sisheng Peak on the new year festivities, a army of chess pieces in his wake and the skies turned orange. He stands in front of Xue Zhengyong

I love the idea of no flower RanWan because my god what a pair of horny virgins who know nothing about sex. Because you know Mo Ran would follow Chu Wanning's cultivation path and both would thirst after each other so hard. Both are dying to fuck and finally catch on to the other's desire and they both know the hit to their cultivation would be worth it.
Cue a pair of impatient horny virgins who know nothing about sex having to do some research because of how big Mo Ran's cock is & one bad attempt.

CW death & grief
Mo Ran dies.
He doesn't come back.
Taxian-Jun survives.
Chu Wanning loves him, but part of his heart Mo-zongshi held is missing.
Taxian-Jun sees it. Sees Chu Wanning missing what he isn't. As much as he tries, his heart is poisoned and he can't be Mo Ran. Mo Ran got to heal. He got to have a life. He got to love Chu Wanning, truly love him. Taxian-Jun had none of that, only a rotting mass in his heart, choking out any love.
Taxian-Jun tries. He really tries, but he's never known love or affection, only hurt and hate.